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or noticing that all the levels are thinly disguised trenches/corridors and the enemies are irritating bullet-sponges and the cut scenes are sometimes 'hidden' quicktime events and - you're better off without, believe me.

I don't have a problem with corridor shooters, nor with bullet-sponges as long as every enemy is one. I don't have problems with QTE, either.

I don't have a problem with corridor shooters, nor with bullet-sponges as long as every enemy is one. I don't have problems with QTE, either.

Thing is, just about every FPS developer worked-out how to hide their corridors and trenches better than Metro does - enemies which simply don't respond to being shot until they magically die are unceasingly annoying and having to GUESS which cutscenes require you to do something and which are purely 'scenery' adds-up to a SHIT game.

Metro 2033 has at least 2 alternative routes for most maps that you can find by exploring. Also you should use the right gun for the right enemy. Shotguns for mutants for example. In ranger mode, enemies (as well as yourself) die in 1-2 hits. For humans, things like armour and helmets actually matter in terms of protection, you need to aim for vulnerable spots. It is a hard game but not for the reasons you talk about. For me it's one of the best FPS in the last few years.

Thing is, just about every FPS developer worked-out how to hide their corridors and trenches better than Metro does - enemies which simply don't respond to being shot until they magically die are unceasingly annoying and having to GUESS which cutscenes require you to do something and which are purely 'scenery' adds-up to a SHIT game.

Well, someone is butthurt. I played through the game missing all the hidden "good deeds" and such, enjoying the atmostphere immensely. The hidden stuff unlocks the alternate, "good" ending (which is non-canon anyway), nothing more. There was a bit of QTE:ery at the very end, as I recall, that annoyed me a bit, but I wouldn't call it a major fault of the game. The main problem was the general alien-shooty direction the game took in the last section, with the areas right before requiring completely different weapons and tactics, making you very unprepared for that part.

The corridors and trenches? I'd say most games are very bad indeed at hiding their linearity! HL2 is still the role model for that kind of thing for a reason. Maybe a lot of people expected 2033 to be STALKER in the Moscow subways, but I expected a linear shooter with a thick atmosphere and I got it. The stealth is clunky, but it's not primarily a stealth game either, and when I failed to sneak past an area (which was often) I shot my way out and thought no more of it.

I can accept that Metro 2033 is not a game for everyone, it is a bit clunky, sometimes poorly balanced and poorly optimized, but it seems to me that a lot of people are giving it a hard time for the wrong reasons. I still consider it one of the most beautiful and atmospheric games I have ever played. It is neither STALKER nor HL2, but it has it's unique qualities and calling it a shit game is just shortsighted.

Metro is one of very few games which left me feeling disgusted I'd bought it - yeah, the atmos is great but the gameplay is just designed (or not) to grate if you're in any way curious about how games are made.

The 'bullet sponge' enemies are the worst thing - I'm shooting things and they simply show no sign of being hurt until they drop dead (and some, IIRC, aren't dead even then) - add that to a game with limited ammo and you are looking at frustration-in-a-box.

When I talk about trenches and corridors I'm not talking about linearity - I'm talking about the way their make what look like 'open world' levels full of debris etc. into actual corridors with clumsy things like trucks and beams thrown in (along with a fair few invisible walls) - they basically 'painted a corridor to look like a whole world' and it gets really, really wearing.

Despite that, they still managed to make you get lost/need to backtrack etc. because whilst they were filling the world with 'large painted boxes' they forgot to include anything useful in terms of guiding the player along...

The QTE stuff is just naff - I'm not a hater of QTE but they've included QTE with no prompting system, to the point you're effectively guessing if the game wants anything (and dying if you guess wrong).

I honestly cannot remember another game which wound-me-up as much as this did - perhaps Outland on the 360 which was a lovely idea bodged together with some glaring cockups for good measure - but even then...

Coincidentally, I just started another run of Metro 2033 on Ranger Easy mode. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the difficulty levels, specifically between regular and Ranger, and Ranger Easy and Ranger Hard?

Coincidentally, I just started another run of Metro 2033 on Ranger Easy mode. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the difficulty levels, specifically between regular and Ranger, and Ranger Easy and Ranger Hard?

Ranger mode as compared to other modes: Less Ammo, but ammo is more deadly.
The difference between Ranger Easy and Ranger Hardcore is tiny: On ranger Hardcore, there is no HUD.

The 'bullet sponge' enemies are the worst thing - I'm shooting things and they simply show no sign of being hurt until they drop dead (and some, IIRC, aren't dead even then) - add that to a game with limited ammo and you are looking at frustration-in-a-box.

Really"? the enemies were not all that bullet spongy for me - unless you aimed for the Bulletproof vests or their helmets - try and aim for the weak exposed bits of flesh.
Also, do not fight the librarians. Look them into the eye, and don't blink.

Although this was on the last bargain bucket, I'll put it here just in case: Hotline Miami, PC – £4.18 Apply coupon “SQRLUVOC”.
Also, most Assassin's Creed games are supercheap on Gamersgate, with the whole collection (except AC3) being at just under 20€.

Wow! that's a shitty deal indeed. I bet some people are conned buying it thinking that they are buying 5 games.

Im tempted at the Darkness 2 for $6 in GMG. Is it any good? Some said that the story is very short.

It's good. It's pure power fantasy with a pretty ok story and neat aesthetics. Not GOTY, but well worth six bucks. It's true that it's short though. Blasted through it in 6 hours or something like that. There is a NG+ but I never continued once I'd upgraded all the abilities.

It's good. It's pure power fantasy with a pretty ok story and neat aesthetics. Not GOTY, but well worth six bucks. It's true that it's short though. Blasted through it in 6 hours or something like that. There is a NG+ but I never continued once I'd upgraded all the abilities.

There's also a very competent 4 player co-op mode that runs parallel to the events of the SP and is some of the best man shooting fun I have had in several years.

Yeah, I'd go for the Darkness II, it has some excellent themes. Although I can't agree with goatmonkey, the co-op puts you in the shoes of a character who's less powerful in every way, which is substantially less fun than playing as Jackie.